Yellowstone follows "the Dutton family, led by John Dutton, who controls the largest contiguous ranch in the United States. The ranch is under constant attack by those it borders—land developers, an Indian reservation, and United States of America's first national park. It is an intense study of a violent world far from media scrutiny, where land grabs earn developers billions, and politicians are bought and sold by the world's largest oil, natural gas, and lumber corporations. Where unsolved murders are not news, they are a consequence of living in the new frontier. It is the best and worst of the United States as seen through the eyes of a family that represents both."
Cast and characters
Main
Kevin Costner as John Dutton, is a sixth-generation patriarch of the Dutton family, who controls the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch, the largest contiguous ranch in the United States. He is confronted with the challenge of defending his land from those who would seek to take it from him. Josh Lucas portrays a young John Dutton in a recurring role.
Luke Grimes as Kayce Dutton, a former US Navy SEAL and youngest son to John and Evelyn. In the first season, he lived on the local Native American reservation with his native American wife and son. In the second season, he and his family are living at the Dutton Ranch. Rhys Alterman portrays a young Kayce in a recurring role.
Kelly Reilly as Beth Dutton, a financier and the daughter of John and Evelyn. Although well educated, highly intelligent, and a master manipulator, Beth is also emotionally unstable and suffers from a substance abuse problem. She is loyal to her father and in love with Rip Wheeler. Kylie Rogers portrays a young Beth in a recurring role.
Wes Bentley as Jamie Dutton, an attorney, aspiring politician, and one of John and Evelyn's sons. Although completely loyal to his father and family, he is constantly frustrated at the current state of his family. He also has an intense love/hate relationship with his sister Beth. Dalton Baker portrays a young Jamie in a recurring role.
Cole Hauser as Rip Wheeler, the ranch foreman at the Yellowstone / Dutton Ranch, and John's right-hand man and enforcer. Rip has worked on the ranch for many years since being taken in by a young John Dutton and is therefore fiercely loyal to John. Dutton considers Rip to be one of his sons. He has an on-again, off-again relationship with Beth, whom he loves. Kyle Red Silverstein portrays a young Rip Wheeler in guest appearances in the episodes "The Unraveling: Pt. 1" and "Touching Your Enemy".
Kelsey Asbille as Monica Long Dutton, Kayce's Native American wife with whom he lives on the local reservation, where in the first season, she is a teacher at the reservation school. In the second season, she has become a professor at the University of Montana.
Brecken Merrill as Tate Dutton, the son of Kayce and Monica, and John's only grandchild.
Jefferson White as Jimmy Hurdstrom, a ranch hand at Yellowstone.
Danny Huston as Dan Jenkins, a billionaire land developer from California with aspirations of taking the Yellowstone ranch from John Dutton.
Gil Birmingham as Chief Thomas Rainwater, the chief of the nearby Native American reservation. He seeks to take the land from the Dutton family - land that he considers to have been stolen from the Native Americans who originally inhabited it - in order to expand the reservation.
Denim Richards as Colby, a ranch hand at Yellowstone.
Forrie J. Smith as Lloyd Pierce, a senior ranch hand at Yellowstone. He has worked with John and the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch for many years. Smith's son, Forrest Smith, portrays a young Lloyd in a guest appearance in the episode "Touching Your Enemy".
Katherine Cunningham as Christina, an assistant to Jamie Dutton as he takes part in the race to be the new Montana Attorney General. She and Jamie grow closer and eventually begin a relationship.
David Cleveland Brown as Jason, Beth Dutton's assistant.
Taylor Sheridan as Travis Wheatly, a horse trader and an acquaintance of John Dutton.
Tanaya Beatty as Avery, a former stripper who is recruited by Rip as a ranch hand at Yellowstone. While she adjusts to her job, she bonds with fellow ranch hand Jimmy Hurdstrom.
Neal McDonough as Malcolm Beck, a businessman who becomes a nemesis of John Dutton.
Terry Serpico as Teal Beck, a businessman and Malcolm's brother.
In 2013, Taylor Sheridan began work on the series, having recently grown tired of acting and begun writing screenplays. Having lived in the rural parts of states such as Texas and Wyoming, Sheridan purposely set the series in Montana and went about writing the first scripts in Livingston. On May 3, 2017, it was announced that the Paramount Network had greenlit its first scripted series, Yellowstone. Paramount issued a series order for a first season consisting of ten episodes. The series was set to be written, directed, and executive-produced by Sheridan. Other executive producers were to include John Linson, Art Linson, Harvey Weinstein, and David Glasser. Production companies involved with the series were set to consist of Linson Entertainment and The Weinstein Company. On October 12, 2017, it was announced that following reports of sexual abuse allegations against producer Harvey Weinstein, his name would be removed from the series' credits as would The Weinstein Company as well. On January 15, 2018, Kevin Kay, president of Paramount Network, clarified during the annual Television Critics Association's winter press tour that Yellowstone will not have The Weinstein Company's credits or logo on them, even though that company was involved in production. Furthermore, he stated that their intent is to replace Weinstein Television with the company's new name in the show's credits when available. That same day, it was also announced that the series would premiere on June 20, 2018. On July 24, 2018, it was announced that Paramount Network had renewed the series for a second season that was expected to premiere in 2019. On March 21, 2019, it was announced that the second season will premiere on June 19, 2019. On June 19, 2019, the series was renewed by Paramount for a third season, which premiered on June 21, 2020. On February 21, 2020, Paramount Network renewed the series for a fourth season, ahead of the premiere of its third season.
Casting
On May 15, 2017, it was announced that Kevin Costner had been cast in the series lead role of John Dutton. In June 2017, it was reported that Luke Grimes, Cole Hauser, Wes Bentley, and Kelly Reilly had joined the cast as series regulars. On July 13, 2017, it was announced that Kelsey Asbille had been cast in a main role. In August 2017, it was reported that Dave Annable, Gil Birmingham, and Jefferson White had been added to the main cast while Wendy Moniz, Gretchen Mol, Jill Hennessy, Patrick St. Esprit, Ian Bohen, Denim Richards, and Golden Brooks were joining the cast in a recurring capacity. In November 2017, it was announced that Michaela Conlin and Josh Lucas had been added to the cast in recurring roles. On December 19, 2017, it was reported that Heather Hemmens was joining the cast in a recurring capacity. On June 13, 2018, it was announced that Barret Swatek had been cast in a recurring role. On September 14, 2018, it was announced that Neal McDonough was joining the cast of season two in a recurring capacity.
Filming
Principal photography for the series began in August 2017 at the Chief Joseph Ranch in Darby, Montana, which stands in as the home of John Dutton. Filming also took place that month near Park City, Utah. The production used all three soundstages at the in Park City, which is a total of 45,000 square feet. The building also houses offices, editing, a huge wardrobe department and construction shops. By November 2017, the series had filmed in more than twenty locations in Utah, including the Salt Flats, Promontory Club, and Spanish Fork. Additionally, filming also took place at various locations in Montana. Production was reportedly set to last until December 2017.
Music
The series' score was composed by Brian Tyler who worked with musicians from the London Philharmonia Orchestra and viola, cello, and violin soloists. On August 17, 2018, the soundtrack for the first season was released by Sony Music.
Release
Marketing
On February 28, 2018, a teaser trailer for the series was released. On April 26, 2018, the first full trailer was released.
The first season was released on Blu-ray and DVD on December 4, 2018.
Reception
Critical response
The series was met with a mixed response from critics upon its premiere. On the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the first season holds a 51% approval rating, with an average rating of 5.83 out of 10 based on 39 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "Yellowstone proves too melodramatic to be taken seriously, diminishing the effects of the talented cast and beautiful backdrops." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the season a score of 53 out of 100 based on 26 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews."
Ratings
The two-hour series premiere of Yellowstone averaged 2.8 million viewers in live + same day and became the most-watched original scripted series telecast ever on Paramount Network. The premiere audience grows to nearly 4 million when the two encore airings of the premiere are factored in. The premiere audience more than doubled that of Paramount Network's first scripted drama series, Waco and more than tripled the debut viewership of Paramount Network's new comedy series, American Woman. It was later reported that the premiere's Live+3 Nielsen ratings revealed that 4.8 million viewers ultimately watched the premiere after delayed viewing was factored in. By the series' third episode, it was reported that the show had become the second-most-watched television series on ad-supported cable to air in 2018, only behind AMC's The Walking Dead.
